Among the Canadian AlpsBurpee, Lawrence J. (Lawrence Johnstone)
History
Among the Canadian Alps
Burpee, Lawrence J. (Lawrence Johnstone)
Canadian Rockies (B.C. and Alta.)
The road from Stephen, or Hector, down to Field is an exceedingly
interesting one, and worth taking in as leisurely a manner as
possible, on an easy-going pony, or better still on foot. Leaving
Hector, the road skirts the shores of Wapta Lake, whose waters are of
the deepest blue; Cataract Creek trail here leads off to the south, to
Lake O'Hara about eight miles distant beyond the great white peak of
Mount Victoria; the Cathedral Crags lie directly ahead to the west,
and beneath winds the wildly impressive Canyon of the Kicking Horse.
As the road drops rapidly down the valley, one is lost in amazement
at the temerity of the engineers who dared to carry a railway through
this seemingly impossible gorge, with its gradient of nearly 200 feet
in the mile. As we leave the Canyon behind, Mount Stephen fills the
view ahead, with Field and Wapta to the right, and the beautiful Yoho
Valley opening up to the north, where the Wapta icefield and Mount
Habel are visible in the distance.
One of the most delightful expeditions in Yoho Park is that to Lake
O'Hara and Lake McArthur. These may be reached either from Laggan in
Rocky Mountains Park, or from Field in the Yoho. Outram recommends
that if at all possible the approach should be made from Laggan and
Lake Louise, by way of Abbot Pass, using the easier but less
picturesque Cataract trail for the return journey. This makes a
somewhat strenuous trip for those who may not be accustomed to
climbing, but otherwise is thoroughly worth the extra effort. The way
leads around Lake Louise, and over the Victoria Glacier to Abbot Pass,
with the tremendous precipices of Lefroy and Victoria frowning down on
either side. From the glacier the way to the pass is up a steep,
narrow gorge known as the Death Trap on account of the numerous
avalanches that hurtle down from the mountain tops. The danger,
however, is more apparent than real, and nothing has ever happened to
justify the sinister name.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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